Store-Bought Red Velvet Cake Mixes, Ranked Worst To Best

When you need a sumptuous, elegant, effortlessly sophisticated bake, where do you turn? Bakers probably have their go-to decadent cake recipes, but if you rarely experiment with kitchen concoctions, a boxed cake mix may be more up your alley — and there's no shame in that. Given their modern ubiquity on store shelves (not to mention the numerous ways you can elevate your boxed cake mix), cake mixes are beneficial to all types of bakers, especially those whose typical party bake is something red velvet.

Red velvet seems a somewhat elusive cake — you don't see it everywhere (evidenced by the fact that I could only find six cake mixes to compare for this piece), and its moniker doesn't give many clues as to what the red velvet flavor actually is (hint: it's a combination of chocolate and vanilla, with some tang from vinegar or buttermilk). And, of course, it boasts a distinct red color. Using a boxed mix is inarguably the easiest way to make the cake, especially if you don't regularly keep buttermilk and red food coloring on hand. Most of the above mixes only called for some combination of water, butter, eggs, and oil — ingredients we all typically have lying around. All red velvet cake mixes are working toward the same goal, but at the end of the day, not all are created equal. I compared six boxed mixes and ranked each based on the final flavor, texture, rise, allergen considerations, and how easy each was to make.

Don't be fooled by the pretty packaging of Duncan Hines' Perfectly Moist red velvet mix. I doubt the real life Duncan Hines would approve of this mix, though it managed to create a visually appealing end product. I thought these would be some of the best cupcakes of the bunch — they boasted an adequate rise, the signature luscious red velvet color, and when I broke one open I was greeted by a moist, spongy interior, pretty reminiscent of a sea sponge. 

Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there, and a solitary bite of the confection had me grimacing. Perhaps I'm just picky — in fact, I don't know how much I would have noticed the unpleasant undertones were I not tasting these against five competitors. Yet, they were there. The cakes were chocolatey enough, but lingering underneath the chocolate flavor was an artificiality that I couldn't get past. Perhaps from the food dye? It gave off a slightly metallic appeal that was wholly unwelcome, and though it didn't linger long past the end of the bite, it was still a deal-breaker that relegated these to last place.

Sure, these weren't the reddest cupcakes of the bunch, but that's not why I stuck them in spot number five. I initially had pretty high hopes for this selection — after all, who doesn't love a chocolate pound cake, especially when it's been given a red velvet twist? Moreover, the picture on the packaging is too tantalizing to ignore. Unfortunately, the only thing that gave this mix a leg up over the former was its resulting texture.

Texturally, these cupcakes were dense (as one would expect from a pound cake), which I actually really enjoyed — it made each bite more filling and retained more moisture in the middle. I even thought these would get a higher spot when I first bit into one. I noticed the flavor was punchier than with others I'd had (these were the second-to-last cupcakes I tried), but as the bite went on, I wasn't sure I appreciated this aspect. I felt like I could taste the food coloring, and there was something oddly metallic in the flavor. This was pretty disappointing — had those strange notes not been a factor, this mix could have earned a higher spot. As it is, its off-putting flavors earned this one spot number five.

So, if this list were purely based on my personal preference, the red velvet cake mix from Mom's Place would have ranked last. But due diligence requires that I take into account allergen considerations, and this is the only mix on the list that's gluten-free, dairy-free, and top 9 allergen-friendly. However, these free from considerations only apply to the mix — the instructions direct the baker to add dairy ingredients (including buttermilk, butter, and eggs) to the batter, so I'm not sure what the point was of making the mix dairy free. Also, this recipe asks you to add your own red food coloring, which is good to know in case you don't normally keep any on hand.

That said, it still gets bonus points for being the only allergen-friendly option on the list, and it's not totally unpalatable. As someone who's gone on a few elimination diets, I can confidently say that if I hadn't had regular versions recently, these would taste pretty good; however, those without allergies would be able to tell the difference in taste pretty easily. The cupcakes also don't boast a stunning rise, but on the plus side, their texture was on point with a moist and spongy interior crumb. They also had the classic red velvet flavor, though it was slightly muted here. Alas, I could only put it in the fourth place, but it did have the upper leg on the previous two of not tasting artificial. 

This and the following two mixes I could recommend as solid red velvet cake choices, with pretty minor differences between each. To start, Pillsbury. Choosing between Pillsbury and my next choice for a higher spot was no easy task; they're fairly similar, but a couple small factors contributed to Pillsbury's mix getting placed third. It easily earned a spot above the previous picks because its flavor was far superior. 

A couple visual attributes caused this to rank lower than my next pick: these are both less domed and slightly less red than the following. Pillsbury's flavor is very, very close to the next, but just a hint less punchy. It still tastes like cocoa, but the cocoa takes a little longer to hit after taking a bite. Texturally, the interior of this was soft, spongy, airy, and moist. Only the pickiest palates would be able to differentiate between this and my number two choice in a blind taste test, so you can feel safe grabbing whichever's cheaper or more available. 

Good ol' Betty Crocker came in to snag the number two spot on my list, and again, the differences between this mix and Pillsbury's were minor enough to be pretty negligible. However, I would say these have a slight visual edge — their red color was a bit more vibrant, and you can see the pretty uniform, rounded dome on the cupcake on the right. Were this purely a visual ranking, Betty Crocker's may have taken the top spot overall.

Texturally, these cupcakes were just as you'd expect them to be: moist, soft, and bouncy, but they really stood out in terms of flavor. The cupcakes had the signature subtle cocoa flavor characteristic of red velvet, with hints of butteriness throughout. There's no unpleasant, artificial flavor here, but even better was the fact that the flavors stayed with me a bit after swallowing. The mix was, as expected, easy to whip up as well. There's a reason Betty Crocker is a staple brand, and I was reminded of my affection for the brand after making these — I can't remember the last time I used a cake mix, but when I do, it will probably be Betty Crocker's.

...Unless, that is, Old School Brand makes whatever bake I'm after. I didn't expect much of this red velvet cake mix, but boy, did it deliver. I know the cupcakes don't look like much aesthetically. They aren't super domed, and they could be slightly redder. But all those considerations went out the window once I got a taste of these bad boys. They had the most natural flavor of the bunch, with an ingredient list to back up my assumption that this was a relatively simple product.

There are only six ingredients used in this mix, all of which (except, possibly, the food coloring) you probably have in your pantry. This already made me feel better about eating these — I love a short ingredient list full of familiar items. The end result was slightly denser and more moist than any of the previous choices (excluding the pound cake mix) and the flavor was incredibly rich, too. The cupcakes tasted chocolatey, and I also felt I could taste the grain. This wasn't a bad thing — rather, it gave the cupcakes a full, wheaty sensation that just added to their depth. While Betty Crocker's will work fine in a pinch, Old School Brand's blew it out of the water, and it's the only red velvet mix I'll be using from here on out. 

When comparing each of these recipes, I made them into cupcakes for an easier (and more uniform) testing experience. I prepared each mix according to the directions on the box, without using any possible substitutions, and I let all the cupcakes come to room temperature before digging in. I also tasted them sans cream cheese frosting — as delicious as it is, frosting is not conducive to a uniform tasting experience. 

I ranked each based primarily on their respective flavor and texture, taking into consideration allergen friendliness to give Mom's Place's mix a higher spot. A secondary factor was how much they rose, and tertiary was how complicated each mix was to make (which really only applied to the mix by Mom's Place). The few mixes toward the bottom of my list unfortunately tasted artificial, while the higher-ranking ones had a much more natural flavor. The only major textural difference between the cupcakes was found with Plentiful Pantry's pound cake mix — that one had a much denser texture, which I actually appreciated. Unfortunately, its odd flavoring still got it a lower spot on the list.